Tag: Nebraska

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No. 11 Marquette aims to stop its losing streak in Omaha, Nebraska, against the on-fire Creighton

No. 11 Marquette (NCAAB)

No. 11 Marquette is looking to end a two-game losing streak while Creighton wants to keep its hot streak going when the two Big East teams face off Saturday afternoon in Omaha, Neb.

The Golden Eagles (18-5, 9-3 Big East) dropped out of the top 10 for the first time since November, while the Bluejays (17-6, 10-2) have won eight straight games since losing to Marquette 79-71 on Jan. 3.

Marquette is coming off a 70-64 loss to No. 12 St. John’s on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden and sits in third place in the Big East standings.

“Adversity reveals a necessity to grow and improve,” Marquette coach Shaka Smart said. “Our focus is on ourselves and what we can do to improve.”

Before the current losing streak, Marquette had won three in a row.

Chase Ross has been a standout player for the Golden Eagles, scoring in double figures in four straight games — something he had never done before this run. He scored 16 points in the loss to St. John’s and is averaging 11.5 points per game.

“I’m trying to find ways to help my team win,” Ross said.

Kam Jones, who was named a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award on Monday, continues to lead Marquette with 18.8 points and 6.0 assists per game.

Creighton is on a high after defeating Providence 80-69 on Wednesday, earning its first road win against the Friars in four years and taking sole possession of second place in the Big East.

Ryan Kalkbrenner had an outstanding game, scoring 35 points and grabbing 12 rebounds, living up to the preseason Big East Player of the Year hype.

Nebraska and No. 16 Oregon

He’ll be a tough matchup for the Golden Eagles, as will Steven Ashworth, who scored 23 points at Providence and has made at least one 3-pointer in 41 consecutive games.

Creighton coach Greg McDermott praised Kalkbrenner after the game against Providence.

“He’s an incredible player and an even better person,” McDermott said.

Kalkbrenner is averaging a team-high 19.2 points per game and 8.5 rebounds. He is also a defensive force, blocking 60 shots and altering many more with his 7-foot-1 frame.

Ashworth is averaging 16.6 points per game and has made 67 3-pointers this season.

In the previous meeting with Marquette, Kalkbrenner scored 16 points on 4-for-11 shooting.

In the win over Providence, Kalkbrenner started 0-for-5 but didn’t let it affect him.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever started a game 0-for-5,” Kalkbrenner said. “I was missing shots I normally make and in the past I’d let that frustrate me. But now I know those are going to start falling for me.”

Jones scored 22 points to lead Marquette in the first matchup with Creighton. Stevie Mitchell, who was named to the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year list on Wednesday, added 18 points and three steals.

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Nebraska regains confidence, ready for Washington in Lincoln

Nebraska and No. 16 Oregon

After a six-game losing streak, Nebraska was struggling with its identity. But Brice Williams helped the Cornhuskers find their way again.

Williams averaged 27.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 5.0 assists while helping Nebraska beat then-No. 18 Illinois and then-No. 16 Oregon. The Cornhuskers will look to keep the momentum going when they face Washington in Seattle on Wednesday for a Big Ten matchup.

The wins over Illinois and Oregon lifted Nebraska (14-8, 4-7 Big Ten) from being a possible conference tournament dropout to an NCAA Tournament hopeful.

“We’ve gotten our identity back,” said Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg on his postgame radio show after the 77-71 win over Oregon. “That was the biggest thing for me … to go out and play consistently on the defensive end. And we’ve done a much better job on the 3-point line.”

Nebraska almost lost a 15-point lead against Oregon, but managed to hold on for the win.

“It’s about regrouping,” Hoiberg said. “I told the guys in the locker room this doesn’t mean anything unless we come out and play well on Wednesday.”

Cornhuskers and No. 18 Illinois (NCAAB)

Washington (11-10, 2-8) has also been working on its own recovery, snapping a six-game losing streak with a 71-68 win over Minnesota on Saturday. Tyler Harris scored 23 points, going 9-for-12 shooting, and Great Osobor added 16 points and 10 rebounds in the victory.

Five of Washington’s six losses during the streak were to ranked teams.

“It’s awesome for the guys,” said first-year Washington coach Danny Sprinkle. “We deserved it. We’ve been playing good basketball, and we’ve played maybe the hardest schedule in the country. We’ve had our chances to win games, and for whatever reason, we didn’t make plays and some of the other teams did.”

“But I thought our guys did a good job learning from all of those lessons in January — taking care of the basketball in the final 10 minutes and making sure we take good shots. And it comes down to guys making plays. I wish I could say it was coaching, but it’s not.”

Osobor is the leading scorer for the Huskies this season with 15.5 points per game.

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Nebraska knocks off No. 16 Oregon 77-71 in Eugene for another ranked win

Nebraska and No. 16 Oregon

Brice Williams scored 28 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and handed out six assists, helping Nebraska lead for most of the game in their 77-71 upset victory over No. 16 Oregon on Sunday night in Eugene, Ore. The Cornhuskers (14-8, 4-7) won their second straight game after a six-game losing streak. Juwan Gary added 23 points, and Rollie Worster contributed 11 points for Nebraska.

For Oregon (16-7, 5-6), Jackson Shelstad scored 16 points, and Brandon Angel added 15. The Ducks lost their third straight game and their fourth in the last five. TJ Bamba had 13 points and four steals.

Nebraska controlled most of the game, leading for 38 minutes. This win came just days after their 80-74 overtime victory against No. 18 Illinois on Thursday. The Cornhuskers shot 51% from the field, though they struggled from 3-point range, making only 4 of 23 attempts. Oregon shot 40% from the field but was also ineffective from deep, hitting just 5 of 20 shots from behind the arc.

Nebraska extended its lead to 52-41 with 10:18 left in the game after baskets from Gary, Andrew Morgan, and Williams. Oregon fought back, with Shelstad hitting two 3-pointers to make it 58-53 with 6:04 remaining. But Nebraska responded with a 3-pointer from Gary and two free throws by Williams to push the lead back to 10 with 4:16 to go.

Nebraska and No. 16 Oregon

Oregon made one last push and cut the deficit to 70-66 on Bamba’s 3-point play with 56.2 seconds left. However, Gary and Williams each made two free throws to seal the win and give Nebraska an eight-point lead with 38.9 seconds remaining.

Williams helped Nebraska take a 34-28 lead into halftime, scoring 12 points in the first half. Bamba led Oregon with nine points in the half. Nebraska quickly jumped to a 12-4 lead just 6 1/2 minutes into the game, then extended it to 23-14 after Gary’s basket at 7:44 remaining.

After Bamba converted a three-point play, Nebraska went on a 9-0 run, capped by Williams’ dunk, to make it 32-17 with 4:53 left. Oregon closed the gap with an 11-0 run, ending with Jadrian Tracey’s 3-pointer with 1:29 remaining in the half.

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Rhule states Nebraska’s spring game is likely off due to the negative impact of the transfer portal

Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule watches from the sideline during the first half of an NCAA college football game

The Nebraska spring game, a major event for both attendance and revenue in college football, is likely to be canceled in the future due to coach Matt Rhule’s concerns about other teams targeting his players.

“The word ‘tampering’ doesn’t exist anymore,” Rhule said at his midwinter news conference on Saturday. “It’s just an absolute free open common market. I don’t necessarily want to open up to the outside world and have people watch our guys and say, ‘He looks like a pretty good player. Let’s go get him.’”

The spring game has been a long-standing tradition at Nebraska. Last year, it attracted 60,452 fans to Memorial Stadium, ranking fourth in the nation behind Ohio State, Alabama, and Penn State. The event was also televised on the Big Ten Network.

“I dealt with a lot of people offering our players a lot of opportunities after that,” Rhule explained. “To go out and bring in a bunch of new players and showcase them for all the other schools to watch doesn’t make a lot of sense to me.”

Six Nebraska players entered the transfer portal the week after last year’s spring game.

The spring transfer portal period ends on April 25 this year, just a day before Nebraska’s spring practice ends. However, players can still switch schools without entering the portal, like Wisconsin safety Xavier Lucas did when he moved to Miami.

Nebraska and Texas A&M surprise as financial powerhouses despite recent struggles

Rhule said he’s more concerned about exposing his players to other schools than worrying about injuries that can occur in a spring game. Last year, receiver Demitrius Bell and cornerback Blye Hill got hurt during the spring game and missed the season. Rhule confirmed that live tackling would still take place in spring practice scrimmages.

“Guys are being compensated now, and you’re putting money behind some people, a whole other set of parameters,” Rhule said. “Yet at the same time you have to get good. Honestly, to me, it’s about protecting the roster and protecting through that portal period.”

When asked if a spring game with a scrimmage format would be held to conclude spring practice, Rhule replied, “I don’t know that yet, but I’ll be honest with you, I highly doubt it.”

He did express a desire to “show off” his players in some way. Athletic director Troy Dannen mentioned on his radio show last week that an event, possibly involving football and other fall sports, would take place on April 26.

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No. 18 Illinois is working to bounce back as they face challenges with key player Tomislav Ivisic out for an uncertain period

Brad Underwood speaks to the refee in the 1st half

Illinois made changes to its roster after reaching the Elite Eight, and coach Brad Underwood understood that the season would have its ups and downs with such a young team, the second-youngest in the Power Four.

The 18th-ranked Illini (14-7, 6-4 Big Ten) have hit a rough patch. Their 80-74 overtime loss to Nebraska on Thursday night marked their fourth defeat in six games.

They started the season with a 12-3 record, with losses to No. 8 Alabama and a last-second buzzer-beater loss to No. 1 Tennessee. Three weeks ago, they were ranked No. 13, and Underwood believed his team had the potential for another deep postseason run.

“It’s frustrating for me,” he said after the loss to Nebraska, “because I know where we can be and what we were getting to.”

The Illini have played three straight games without their 7-foot-1 sophomore center, Tomislav Ivisic, who is out indefinitely with mononucleosis. Ivisic is the team’s second-leading scorer with 13 points per game and the top rebounder with 8.5 rebounds per game. In his place, 6-9, 255-pound Morez Johnson Jr. has been starting.

“It’s big for sure,” said sophomore guard Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn about Ivisic’s absence. “Tomi is a great player. He’s one of our starting guys, one of our best players for sure. That’s not an excuse. We have to have the next-man-up mentality.”

Freshman point guard Kasparas Jakucionis missed two games earlier this month due to a left wrist injury. He’s the leading scorer with 15.9 points per game and the best 3-point shooter on the team at 37.5%.

Will Riley, another freshman, got the flu and didn’t play much in a 91-70 loss to Maryland last week.

Morez Johnson Jr. reacts in the 2nd half

“I don’t know when we’ll get whole again,” Underwood said. “Tomi is a big piece of what we do, and Morez was becoming that. We have the No. 1 defense in the country when those two are on the floor together.”

With Ivisic and Johnson out, the team has struggled offensively. They’ve shot 25% on 3-pointers (48 of 190) and averaged 13 turnovers in their last six games.

Underwood said many of the turnovers are inexcusable because they come from players ignoring scouting reports and making poor passes. In the Nebraska game, several passes were thrown directly into the defense.

“Grow up. Grow up,” Underwood said, raising his voice. “I would like to have an explanation. We had four scouting report (turnovers) where we told our guys you’re not going to throw the baseline pass, and we continually tried to do that. Tonight was very uncharacteristic of us from a scouting report standpoint, making those turnovers. You’re not going to beat anybody doing that.”

Thursday marked the beginning of a stretch where the Illini play three of their next four games on the road over 10 days. They’ll host Ohio State on Sunday, then travel to Rutgers and Minnesota, both of whom are under .500 in Big Ten play.

“I feel like with this team, we’re going to go on our little slumps,” Riley said. “We’re very young. I feel like we’re getting more consistent as the days go. We’re onto the next game. We’re going to come out with high intensity, high effort.”

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NFL (American Football)

Calvin Jones, ex-Nebraska standout and NFL running back, passes away at 54 in Omaha

Calvin Jones (NFL)

Calvin Jones, a former Nebraska running back who gained over 3,000 yards during his college career and was part of the Green Bay Packers’ Super Bowl-winning team in 1996, has passed away at the age of 54.

Jones’ body was found in the basement of a house in north Omaha on Wednesday night. The police have not confirmed the cause of death yet, as they are waiting for an autopsy.

A close friend of Jones, Jo Dusatko, shared with the Omaha World-Herald that carbon monoxide poisoning is suspected. She mentioned that the furnace in the house wasn’t working, and Jones had been using a generator in the basement.

Jones’ College Career at Nebraska

Before entering the NFL, Jones was a standout player at Central High School, where he earned All-American honors. At Nebraska, he rushed for 3,166 yards and 40 touchdowns, earning All-Big Eight honors in 1992 and 1993.

He teamed up with Derek Brown in the backfield, and together they were known as the “We-Backs,” named after the Cornhuskers’ I-back position.

Nebraska players celebrate in the 1st half

In 1991, Jones was a backup to Brown, but he made a huge impact when he ran for a Big Eight freshman-record 294 yards and six touchdowns in a 59-23 win over Kansas. His rushing total in that game still ranks No. 2 on Nebraska’s single-game rushing list.

Jones declared for the NFL draft in 1994 and was selected in the third round by the Oakland Raiders. He played for the Raiders for two seasons, appearing in 15 games, with 27 carries for 112 yards and two receptions for 6 yards. Jones also spent some time with the Green Bay Packers during their Super Bowl-winning season in 1996, though he did not have any carries in the game.